Along with other guarantees it would be nice if you could get some kind of note from the firm of what would happen if there’s is bad weather in particular if you’ve ordered an open top vehicle. Could they offer you a replacement vehicle, how long in advance would you have to let them know. All things to be considered.

Just remember that you want the day to be perfect and arriving and leaving in the wedding car means it is the first and last impression that guests will have of your wedding. Unfortunately, so much effort is put into planning the ceremony and the reception, choosing decorations, cakes, entertainment and so on, that picking the right wedding car often gets ignored. Make sure you don’t overlook this incredibly significant part of your wedding.

Whatever car you choose for your wedding day make sure it gets everyone’s attention and gives all of your wedding guests something to remember. After all they call it your special day so make sure your luxury wedding car makes you feel special.

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The reason I mention this, is that quite often at weddings, there’s a bit of trepidation surrounding the speeches. Will they be funny?, will they be rude?, will they be emotional?  I think one of the issues when writing a wedding speech is realising the range of audience you’ll be talking to. So for example, if you’re the best man, and you’ve known the groom since you were at school, you may be tempted to create quite an embarrassing speech, giving up all the details on things that his new bride or family didn’t know about him. This may make you laugh, but the problem with a speech like this is that it would probably alienate a large section of the audience, and only be really funny to you and a few of his friends. Likewise a father of the bride speech, could focus too much on the bride without mention of the groom or his family. Not really something you want to happen.

So we thought it would be a good idea, to create a list of some pointers for budding speech writers. Whether you’re suffering from writers block and don’t know how to begin your speech, or to just double check that no-one will walk out in disgust at the secrets you divulge.

• When you plan your speech, be sure to structure it in a way that makes sense and flows. So it’s a good idea to break it down into sections, such as thank you’s, how you know the bride and groom, stories about one/the other/or both of them and then a toast at the end.
• As already mentioned it’s important to speak to both sides in your speech. Not everyone will know the references or even you, so any stories that you do tell make sure that you explain their back story clearly so everyone understands.
• Before your speech, it can be a nervous time. You may feel tense and not enjoy public speaking, but remember that this is a celebration; no one is there to criticise you. Everyone is there to have a good time so just relax, and if you’re worried about getting the order of your speech wrong,  I’d always advise bringing along some form of notes or cue cards to help you remember the order of your speech.
• When you finally give you speech, make sure that you make eye contact, with people all around the room, as there’s nothing worse than someone constantly looking down at their notes, as that’s not really giving a speech, but more reading. If you’re nervous about your speech, making eye contact with someone you know can really help calm you down and help settle the nerves.
• It’s always a good idea to end the speech with a toast to the bride and groom. It makes it clear that the speech is over and also when writing your speech, gives you somewhere to get to, rather than feeling that you need to keep talking so much so that you end up rambling. As a guide a  good speech needn’t be any more than five minutes long.

So there you have it. These few tips should be enough to get you started when writing your speech. The rest is up to you. Just remember to relax and enjoy it, and don’t make it too rude!

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So we’ve come up with a couple of tips on how to stay calm and be a lovely bride to be.

1. This ones pretty obvious which is why we put it at the top. Stay calm. Remember why you picked these women as you’re bridesmaids. Whether they’re family members, girls you went to school with, or work colleagues, these women are honoured to be with you on your big day. They won’t mess it up. They want the best for you. And remember everything will come together on the big day. Promise.
2. Give people jobs to do. This carries on from point 1. Your bridesmaids want to help make your wedding as good as it can possibly be. Let them help find things or organise things. If not you’ll just come across as controlling and really bossy. They’ll do their best to find things you like, and if you don’t like it just say no, (though try to not say no too much!) But this has another meaning as well. If you have lots of people who you wanted to have as bridesmaids but just couldn’t fit them in, give them other jobs to do. It doesn’t have to be huge jobs like design the cake or find a place to have the reception, but little things like maybe designing invitations that sort of thing.
3. It’s a good idea to go bridesmaid shopping with your bridesmaids. If you’re working on a budget I know it may be tempting to buy them cheap if you see them in a sale, but guessing sizes will more than likely lead to headaches later on. If it’s not comfortable fitting you may have to return a dress and find other sizes or refit them yourselves. Also, it would be nice if you could pick a dress that your bridesmaids actually like wearing.
4. Enjoy your hen night. You’ll hopefully only ever have one hen night so just go with. It may be a bit nerve racking if your bridesmaids aren’t letting you in on the plans for the night. But remember point 1, they love you an want you to have a good time, so that should be enough to get you through the night.

So that’s it. Hopefully this little guide will be of use to you as to head towards your wedding day. And remember, it’ll all get sorted in the end. Promise.

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The venue

Located near Newbury, Donnington Valley Hotel and Spa is licensed for both civil ceremonies and civil partnerships, and boasts quality and flexibility, making it the perfect venue for either a larger ceremony with a sit down wedding breakfast and evening reception in the Cromwell suite, or a more intimate celebration in Greens.

The recently refurbished Cromwell Suite is the largest room within the hotel and is ideally suited for a ceremony of 120 guests, a wedding breakfast of up to 120 guests, and evening function of up to 160 guests.

Greens is the most picturesque room both inside and out with spectacular murals adorning the walls and ceiling and beautiful views across the fairways of the golf course. This room is perfect for a ceremony for 60 or wedding breakfast for up to 50 guests.

With 111 luxury bedrooms, wedding parties can take advantage of preferential rates for guests who choose to stay overnight at the hotel.

Food and wine

The quality of the facilities and services are matched with the best in food and wine. Allow our chef to wow your guests with our delicious cuisine, while our sommelier will help you choose some matching wines from a collection of more than 300.

Packages

Our experienced wedding co-ordinator will help you plan all aspects of your big day down to the finest detail. Take the stresses away and allow our wedding co-ordinator to put together a bespoke wedding package to suit your requirements and budget.

Wedding photographs

The beautifully landscaped gardens and wonderful sculptures around the hotel provide the perfect backdrop for your photographs.

Health Club and Spa

Donnington Valley Spa is the perfect place to be pampered before the big day. With an 18m pool, large jacuzzi, sauna, and steam and aromatherapy room, why not treat yourself to a ‘Before the Big Day’ spa day with a close group of friends. We offer all resident wedding guests complimentary use of the luxury spa facilities and state-of-the-art gym so make the most of it!

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The venue

As a licensed wedding venue, we can accommodate up to 120 guests for private dining or you have the option to have full exclusive use of the hotel. As well as 49 beautifully furnished rooms and suites, we have a luxury award winning spa, which is the perfect place to relax and be pampered before the big day.

Food and wine

To add to the experience, you’ll get the chance to meet with our Executive Head Chef, Daniel Galmiche, and our Head Sommelier and current UK Sommelier of the Year, Yohann Jousselin. Guided by the experts, you’ll be able to create and sample your own wedding breakfast menu with matching wines from our collection of 2,500 varieties.

Packages

Every wedding is unique… that’s why we have wedding co-ordinators on hand to create your bespoke wedding within our inclusive flexible package or tailor make your wedding to suit your requirements and budget.

Let’s not forget the photography

The hotel boasts a superb collection of art and sculptures in and around the hotel. The iconic ‘Fire and Water’ sculpture, as well as many others, provides the perfect location for stunning photographs.

Testimonials

‘Please extend our thanks to all of the staff, especially the Duty Manager on the day. Everyone we’ve spoken to was not only impressed with the quality of the food and wine, but with the staff and service. All aspects have been a high point of conversation.  I don’t know what word to use to express how your staff made our day so special, so thank you.’
Claire and Dan Burton, married in May 2011.

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Licensed for both civil ceremonies and partnerships, Donnington Valley Golf Club provides the perfect setting for your wedding breakfast with stunning views across the rolling fairways. Alternatively, the golf course provides an amazing backdrop for a marquee, which can accommodate up to 180 guests. If you would like something a little less formal than a wedding breakfast, BBQs and buffets are popular alternatives, especially in the summer months.

Inside the golf club (Snelsmore House), you can choose to get married in the Oak Room, which has beautiful oak-panelled walls and floors, its own private bar and fabulous views over the 9th and 18th holes. This room can hold up to 60 guests for the ceremony and wedding breakfast, and then up to 120 guests for an evening reception with a disco. The Cedar Room is another beautifully traditional room, which can hold up to 60 guests for a wedding reception, and a similar number for the evening reception.

Accommodation

We can offer wedding guests preferential rates when they choose to stay at our luxury 4 star Donnington Valley Hotel and Spa, which is only five minutes away from Donnington Valley Golf Club.

Packages

If you plan to get married this year, you can take advantage of our all-inclusive wedding package for 50 day guests and 80 evening guests for £3,800. Whether you choose this option or would like something more bespoke, our experienced wedding co-ordinator will be on hand to help you plan all aspects of your big day down to the finest detail.

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Esseborne Manor is a small, unpretentious yet stylish hotel.

The house, which for over 100 years has been a country retreat, still retains the feel of a private home with a friendly host, warm and caring staff and abundance of fresh flowers in comfortable lounges and bedrooms where you are pampered with fluffy towels and robes, local spring water and home biscuits.

This country house hotel with its 19 well appointed bedrooms and restaurant famed for its exquisite English/French cuisine, is set within three acres of beautifully landscaped gardens overlooking the gently rolling hills between Newbury and Andover.

The house and grounds are available for exclusive use for a wedding ceremony, reception and evening party.
Wedding ceremonies of up to 100 guests can be held in the elegant Tapestry Room or smaller more intimate ceremonies can be held in the lounge.

The tapestry room can accommodate up to 80 guests for a seated wedding reception whilst a marquee on the lawn is better suited for larger parties of up to 120 guests.

Esseborne Manor provides a beautiful setting for your wedding, as witnessed by the fact that over fifty weddings are held every year at the Manor, most of which have exclusive use for the day.

A wide selection of dishes is available in the sample menus and our award-winning chef will be happy to discuss them with you. A fine selection of wines is available to accompany your meal.

With our experience and enthusiasm we will ensure no detail is overlooked in your preparations. We are happy to assist in anyway, be it choice of menu, drinks, flowers, table decorations, entertainment or cake.

On the day we are prepared to be your Master of Ceremonies to ensure a perfect day in perfect location.

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Timing
There is no rule that says you have to rush straight to the airport right after the wedding reception. You will have had a stressful few days; family and friends will have travelled to the wedding and you might want to spend some extra time with them. There are many benefits of waiting a week or two before you actually leave.

Budget
Although the wedding itself can sometimes take priority make sure you are keeping some money allocated for the honeymoon. The trip itself is very important and can be rather costly, so plan ahead and think realistically about how much you will need for flights, hotels and of course, spending money. You don’t want to turn up to your honeymoon shorthanded and have to spend the whole time worrying about costs.

The Honeymoon Fund
To help gain some extra cash for you honeymoon ask you guests to help you out. Instead of registering for typical wedding gifts create a registry for honeymoon funds. Hopefully your guests’ generosity will help you to afford the dream honeymoon you have always wanted.

Mutual Activities
Obviously, your honeymoon is all about spending time together so don’t pick a place because it has all of things you both love individually. It is not much of a honeymoon if the husband is out on the golf course and the wife it checking out the local shops. Find a place where you will be able to do things that you both enjoy, even if it is just lying on the beach.

Consider staying in the Country
You can have a fantastic, relaxing and enjoyable honeymoon right here in the UK. It can be easier to organise and fit around your other responsibilities. For those on a budget you could also save yourself a decent amount of money.

Whether you want a trip in the UK or overseas speak to your local Newbury Travel Agents who can help you find all kinds of great honeymoon packages.

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Newbury is the perfect place to have a country wedding. You need not have exotic locations to have a wedding. A simple banquet hall, a camp ground in woods or a beautifully landscaped park will be perfect for a country wedding.  Yellow, gold, brown and rustic colours are mainly used in this theme. Lots of sunflowers, lilies, daisies, roses and many other wild flowers can be used for the decorations. Small bouquets made of these flowers can be used as the centre pieces for the table arrangements. The entrance and the path way should be decorated with the wild flowers and fruits, (pumpkins can add to the country charm).

Brides can wear a long white gown made of crisp fabric with full frills that looks full and elegant and the groom can choose any dark suit made of rich fabrics for a formal look. Your wedding cake for this theme can be made of apple, pumpkin or any other flavour topped with fresh fruits.

The guests can be welcomed with the fresh lemonades, coconut water or iced tea all of which add to the country setting. Your wedding meal should also be in keeping with the country style; think natural or organic. Traditional dishes always work well at country weddings. The chairs and serving tables can be decorated with roses and ribbons to add more charm to the wedding.

Bring simplicity, sweetness and love to the wedding and celebrate the most special event of your life with your loved ones. For some great country wedding venues in Newbury have a look at our venues page.

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Wedding planners can perform many roles and make your big day easier so you can just relax and enjoy the celebration. Here are just some of the ways wedding planners can help improve your big day…

More than a co-ordinator
The wedding co-ordinator at your venue is only responsible for the services they are offering you such as catering. They will not be looking at the bigger picture; things like entertainment, flowers etc. all of which need to be organised and tied together.

A creative sounding board
Planners can listen to your ideas and dreams for your ideal wedding and use their experience and creativity to add suggestions and make them a reality.

Inside Knowledge
Wedding planners have done this all before hundreds of times and know how much things should cost. They also know the best vendors and the protocol for dealing with them. Plus they may have connections that can help you get discounts. Some planners can get their clients such huge discounts that it actually ends up covering the costs of their services.

Peacekeeper
It is impossible to make everyone happy; so when a dispute occurs the wedding planner is a good neutral person who can guide you in the right direction. Often they end up being your scapegoat so when your mother-in-law has an issue you can simply say “my planner thinks this is the best option…” and save yourself the tension.

Less Stress
The biggest advantage of a wedding planner is that they remove the stress from the process and any pressure on the day itself. Brides who didn’t use a wedding planner often say that they did not enjoy the planning process because it was so stressful and there was so much to deal with. On top of that they said that they spent so much time on the day making sure everything went to plan that it sometimes distracted them from enjoying the day itself.

If you are finding the planning of your wedding too much to deal with then contact one of the many Newbury Wedding Planners in the area to see if they can help. Remember the most important thing is that you enjoy your special day so if you need help, just ask.

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